Teen critical after boys, 12 and 15, shot

STOCKTON - Two boys were wounded, one critically, in a south Stockton shooting Saturday afternoon, authorities said.

Jason Anderson

STOCKTON - Two boys were wounded, one critically, in a south Stockton shooting Saturday afternoon, authorities said.

Police received a report of a person shot at 1:07 p.m. at South Pilgrim and East 8th streets, just west of South Airport Way. They arrived to find a 15-year-old boy who had been shot, said Officer Joe Silva, a spokesman for the Stockton Police Department.

The boy was shot three times, including once in the head, relatives said. One of the bullets entered the boy's earlobe and exited through his eye, one family member said.

The boy was taken to a hospital in critical condition, Silva said. He was later flown to a hospital in Modesto and then transferred to a hospital in Sacramento to undergo surgery, relatives said.

"We're praying right now," said Demetria Carruthers, the victim's grandmother. "That's all we're doing - praying that he makes it."

Family members said the victim was visiting relatives on South Pilgrim Street when a fight erupted, possibly because of a dispute over a dog. At least one person involved in the fight returned with a gun, they said.

Kimberly Snowden, the victim's mother, expressed her dismay as she rushed to the hospital to be with her son.

As investigators were still gathering evidence at the scene, a 12-year-old arrived at a hospital via private transportation with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, Silva said. Police believe the boy was wounded in the same shooting, but his involvement was not yet clear, Silva said.

Stockton Unified School District Trustee Gloria Allen said the 15-year-old victim is an Edison High School student who lives on her street. Allen said she has grown increasingly frustrated by the rise of violent crime in Stockton over the years.

"I've seen the evolution of Stockton," she said. "A lot of people talk the talk, but they can't walk the walk. Right now, we need to be doing something about keeping our young people safe, and that is not happening. We've talked about it for years, but we still have a problem with too many guns, we still have a problem with too many gangs, and we still have a problem with our kids being victims of circumstance."

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to call the Stockton Police Department at (209) 937-8377, the Investigations Unit at (209) 937-8323 or Crime Stoppers at (209) 946-0600. Crime Stoppers pays cash rewards up to $10,000. Callers can remain anonymous.

Cellphone users can text information to 274637 (CRIMES) by entering the keyword "TIPSPD" followed by their tip. Internet users can visit the Police Department's Facebook page and click "Submit a Tip."

Contact reporter Jason Anderson at (209) 546-8279 or janderson@recordnet.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/crimeblog and on Twitter @stockton911.